2009 Baseball Roster

INF

CAREER: Over his illustrious Gator career,
Tucker finished with a .329 average, 1,035 at bats (1st in school history), 341
hits (1st in school history), 258 RBI (1st in school history), 210 runs (6th in
school history), 127 walks (8th in school history), 70 doubles (1st in school
history), 57 homers (2nd in school history), 24 stolen bases in 32 attempts and
seven triples…His fielding percentage of .989 is tied for 10th at UF with Matt
LaPorta (2004-07) and his total of 1,197 putouts in second behind LaPorta
(1,659) and Zunino (1,340)…Named an All-American and All-SEC selection in 2011
& 2012…Only player in school history to earn Regional All-Tournament honors
all four years of his career…Also the only Gator to be the Most Outstanding
Player of two different Regionals (2009 & 2011)… In
30 career NCAA Tourney games, Tucker batted .368 (46-for-125) and holds school
records in career at bats (125), hits (46), RBI (31), runs (29), homers (11)
and doubles (10)…Finalist for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award…In
2009, Tucker became the first player in school history to earn the National
Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Freshman Hitter of the Year
Award and he shared the SEC Freshman of the Year honor with LSU pitcher Matty
Ott….He was the Most Outstanding Player of the Gainesville Regional, was a
unanimous selection to the league’s All-Freshman Team and was chosen as a
Freshman All-American by Baseball America, Louisville Slugger, Rivals.com and
the NCBWA.

AS A SENIOR (2012): Chosen to the SEC
Academic Honor Roll for the first time…Taken by the Houston Astros in the
seventh round of the Major League Baseball Draft at No. 219…Accepted the
Capital One Cup on behalf of the University of Florida men’s athletics program
at the annual ESPY Awards held in Los Angeles…Achieved All-America status from
the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) for the second-consecutive season
after hitting .321 with 57 runs, 50 RBI, 35 walks, 17 doubles and 16
round-trippers in his final collegiate campaign…A first-team All-SEC selection
in 2012 after being a first-team choice during his junior season and a
second-team pick in 2010...Powered UF’s offense with a .393 (11-for-28)
performance in NCAA play and became the first Gator to achieve Regional
All-Tournament status all four years of his career…The lone UF player to earn
Most Outstanding Player recognition twice (2009 & 2011)…In 30 career NCAA Tourney games, Tucker batted .368
(46-for-125) and holds school records in career at bats (125), hits (46), RBI
(31), runs (29), homers (11) and doubles (10)…Was one of 10 NCAA baseball student-athletes named as a finalist for the
2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award…To be eligible for the award, a
student-athlete had to be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have
notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom,
character and competition…An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement
for Staying in School®, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on
the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in
athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities… Ranked
second on the club with a .321 batting average, one point behind Mike
Zunino…Was also second on the Gators in runs (57), RBI (50), walks (35),
doubles (17) and triples (2)…Led the squad in SEC action with a .322 clip and
had 24 RBI, 20 runs, nine doubles and seven homers…Went 1-for-3 with a pair of
walks in his final collegiate game against Kent State at the NCAA College World
Series after going 2-for-5 with a two-run double versus South Carolina…Went
3-for-7 (.429) with a team-high four runs in the Gainesville Super Regional, highlighted
by a leadoff homer in the fourth inning of game two against NC State…Batted
.385 (5-for-13) as the Gators swept the Gainesville Regional and cranked a
two-run shot in the ninth inning of the winner’s bracket game against Georgia
Tech…Scored three runs in the second meeting with Vanderbilt at the SEC
Tournament…Had three-hit efforts and a pair of round-trippers in the first two
games of the Auburn series…Became Florida’s all-time hit leader with a two-run
jack in the second inning of the series opener on the Plains, surpassing Brad
Wilkerson…Scored three runs and tied Wilkerson’s hit total at Samford…Led the
Gators to the series win at No. 3 Kentucky by going 5-for-11 (.455) with three
runs, three RBI and a homer…Delivered a 4-for-11 (.364) performance against
LSU…Was 2-for-2 and drew three walks in 8-2 triumph at No. 6 South
Carolina…Began SEC play with six RBI and four runs in the sweep of
Vanderbilt…Roped a two-run triple in the seventh of the opener with the
Commodores, when he was 2-for-5 with three RBI…Led the Gators to their first
win of the season against Florida State with a three-run blast in the third
inning…Was 2-for-4 with three runs and two RBI in the victory over Florida
Atlantic…Became Florida’s all-time RBI leader with a two-out solo homer in the
third inning against William & Mary…Batted a team-best .545 (6-for-11) in
the season-opening series against No. 16 Cal State Fullerton…Was 3-for-4 with a
homer and a double in the finale…Socked a homer on opening night and also added
a sacrifice fly.

AS A JUNIOR (2011): Selected in the 16th
round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies with the 498th
overall pick…Earned second-team All-America and first-team All-South Region
from the ABCA…A first-team All-SEC choice and the Most Outstanding Player of
the 2011 NCAA Gainesville Regional, Tucker batted .308 with a team-best 74 RBI,
55 runs, 28 walks and matched the school’s single-season record with 23
doubles…Established UF’s single-season marks for games played (tied with Mike
Zunino) and started by being in the lineup all 72 games, with 63 starts in
right field and nine at first base…During the Gators’ 11 NCAA Tournament
outings, he totaled 20 RBI and had 11 extra-base hits (six doubles and five
homers) on his way to a .304 (14-for-46) clip…Is the school’s all-time leader
in NCAA Tourney at bats (97), hits (35), RBI (35), homers (9) and doubles (8)…Hit
.311 with 25 runs, 22 RBI, seven doubles and four homers in SEC play…Batted
.227 (5-for-22) in the College World Series with a team-high six RBI…Drove in a
pair of runs as Florida clinched a berth in the CWS Championship Finals with a
6-4 victory over Vanderbilt…Snapped a 4-4 tie with an eighth-inning single that
brought home Daniel Pigott…Also delivered a game-tying RBI grounder in the
third frame…Provided the Gators’ offense with a monstrous three-run homer in
the first meeting with the Commodores in Omaha and was 2-for-4…Began the CWS
with an RBI double against Texas…Came through with a three-run homer in the
seventh of game three during the Gainesville Super Regional with the Gators
trailing Mississippi State by a 6-4 score…Had been held hitless in the series
until doubling in the fifth inning…Became the first Gator to be chosen as a
Regional’s Most Outstanding Player twice in his career after going 7-for-14
(.500) with 11 RBI, six runs, three homers and three doubles as Florida swept
three games…He had also earned the honor in 2009 and joined Matt den Dekker
(2008-10) as the only players in school history to earn All-Tourney recognition
in Regionals three-times…Drove in five runs in the championship round,
highlighted by a three-run bomb in the first inning…Had a pair of doubles in
the first meeting with Miami (Fla.)…Started NCAA play with a 3-for-6 effort
against Manhattan that featured homers in consecutive at bats…Tallied four RBI
in five games at the SEC Tourney…Had a sacrifice fly in the final versus
Vanderbilt…Started the event by going 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the win
over Mississippi State…Put together a .462 (6-for-13) effort in the Kentucky series,
highlighted by a 5-for-6, five-run performance in game three…Poked three
doubles on the weekend and drove in three runs…Was walked intentionally in the
12th inning of the finale at Vanderbilt and Mike Zunino followed
with a three-run homer…Was hit by a pitch with the bases full in the opener,
but his career-high 13-game hitting streak ended with an 0-for-3 outing…Hit
.333 (4-for-12) at Arkansas and scored twice…Tied game three with a
seventh-inning RBI single…Went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the opener…Batted
.333 (4-for-12) with three runs and a pair of RBI in the sweep of Ole Miss…Was
2-for-4 with two RBI singles on Sunday…Hit .308 (4-for-13) for the
second-straight league series as Florida took all three outings from Alabama…Had
a pair of doubles in Saturday’s win…Jacked a two-run bomb and had an RBI single
in Friday’s 7-0 shutout…Clubbed his second grand slam in as many games to bring
the Gators within 8-6 at UCF…Batted .308 (4-for-13) with seven RBI and four runs
at Georgia…Powered UF to the series win by belting a go-ahead two-run homer in
the seventh and a grand slam in the eighth on Sunday, when he was 2-for-5 with
six RBI and three runs…It his third career grand slam and first multi-HR effort
of the campaign…Went 2-for-4 with a run and opened the scoring with a
first-inning RBI single on Friday night…Went 5-for-15 (.333) with three runs
and three RBI in Starkville…Snapped 1-1 tie with a two-run, two-out single in
the seventh in the finale…Scored twice on Saturday after going 3-for-5 in the
opener…Went 4-for-11 (.364) with three runs in the Tennessee series…Had a
2-for-4 effort in the finale and scored twice…Poked an RBI double in the sixth…Was
2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run in the first meeting with the Vols…Hit
.417 (5-for-12) at LSU and scored twice…Went 3-for-4 in the finale with a
double and a run…Led the Gators with a .545 (6-for-11) average in the sweep of
Rhode Island…Scored three runs, drew two walks and had three extra-base hits…Was
3-for-4 in the finale with a pair of doubles and two RBI…Had a two-run jack in
the first inning on Saturday, when he was 2-for-3…Hit .385 (5-for-13) with
three extra-base hits and two multiple-hit efforts against Miami (Fla.)…Went
3-for-4 in the finale and snapped a 2-2 tie with a solo shot leading off the
sixth inning…Also singled and doubled in the contest…Was 2-for-5 with an RBI
single and a two-bagger…Was the lone Gator with multiple hits versus Florida
State in Tampa, as he was 2-for-4 with a run-scoring single that put Florida on
the board in the third inning…Went 5-for-12 (.417) with three RBI and three
runs against BC…Bashed his second homer of the year in game two, when he was
3-for-4 and scored twice…Snapped a 3-3 tie with a bases-loaded walk in the
seventh…Had an RBI double in the opener as part of a 2-for-4 outing…Matched then-career
high for hits with a 4-for-5, two-RBI effort against FAU…Started the scoring
with a first-inning double and added an RBI single in the seventh…Began the
season with a .333 (4-for-12) performance in the sweep of USF and drove in a
team-high four runs…Drew two walks in the finale and was 1-for-3 with an RBI
and a stolen base…Raised the curtain on the season by going 3-for-5 with three
RBI, a homer and a double.

AS A SOPHOMORE (2010): Second-team All-SEC
recipient and a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team…Started 50 games at
first base, seven in right field and six at designated hitter and hit .331 with
50 runs, 49 RBI, 43 walks, 17 doubles, 11 homers and eight stolen bases…Had a
.312 average with 21 RBI, 21 walks, 20 runs, nine doubles and six HR in SEC
play…Came through with a three-run double in the ninth inning against Florida
State to bring the Gators within 8-5 at the NCAA College World Series…Tied for
the team lead with three walks in the Super Regional, all coming in game one…Led
off the ninth inning of game two with a base-hit and came across with the tying
run on a throwing error…Picked up All-Tourney recognition at the Gainesville
Regional after batting .400 (6-for-15) with four RBI and two runs…Had a
season-high four hits and was 4-for-6 with four RBI in the 15-0 blanking of
Florida Atlantic…Cranked a three-run blast in the eighth inning…Went 2-for-4
with an HBP and stolen base against Bethune-Cookman…Was UF’s top hitter as a
position player at the SEC Tourney with a .313 (5-for-13) clip and had at least
one hit in all four games…Doubled and scored in the loss to Alabama…Connected
on a two-run homer in the win over Vanderbilt, when he was 2-for-5…Had an
infield hit and scored what proved to be the winning run against Arkansas…Was
4-for-9 (.444) with three walks and two RBI against South Carolina…Tied game
two with a two-out RBI triple and was 2-for-3…Opened the series by going
2-for-3 with a run-scoring single…Matched a season-best with three runs and was
2-for-4 with an RBI single in the win over UNF…Went 6-for-15 (.400) with three
runs, two walks and was 2-for-3 on the basepaths at Alabama…Was 3-for-5 with a
double and round-tripper in game two after going 2-for-6 in the opener…Scored
three runs and drew three walks in the LSU series…Matched season high with
three runs in the finale, when he had an RBI double…Both of his hits in the
Arkansas series went for extra bases…Opened the scoring on Sunday with a solo
shot in the fourth inning…Had his 11th double and stole second base in game two…Career-high
11-game hitting streak ended with an 0-for-4 performance in game one but had an
RBI…Fell a double short of hitting for the cycle by going 3-for-6 with three
runs at USF…Made it three-straight games with a homer by going yard in the
first inning…Had first triple of the year in the third and scored on a wild
pitch…Batted .308 (4-for-13) with four RBI and three runs against Kentucky…Equaled
his then-career-high hitting streak of 10 games by going 2-for-5 with a homer
on Sunday…Connected on a two-run homer and had a sacrifice fly in game two…Was
1-for-4 and scored in the opener…Went 3-for-9 (.333) with three walks and two
RBI at Tennessee…Poked an RBI double in the finale…Had a pinch-hit single and
later drew a walk on Saturday…Smoked an RBI single in the fifth inning of the
opener that gave the Gators a 4-1 lead…Went 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the
sixth and a stolen base in the conquest of Jacksonville…Hit .286 (2-for-7) and
drew five walks versus Vanderbilt…Tied season and career high with three free
passes in game two…Smashed an RBI double in the third inning…Poked two doubles
and scored twice in game three at Ole Miss…Started league action by going
5-for-12 (.417) with four RBI and four runs in the sweep of Mississippi State…Went
1-for-4 and raised hitting streak to eight games with an eighth-inning single
in the finale…Went 2-for-4 with a game-tying solo shot in the sixth and a
two-run double in the seventh on Saturday…Homered and finished 2-for-4 in the
SEC opener…Continued torrid stretch by driving in four runs in the 8-5 win over
Florida State…Blasted a solo shot in the third inning, had a bases-loaded
sacrifice fly to deep right field in the fourth and tacked on a two-out RBI
single in the seventh…Belted his first homer of the season with a two-run shot against
Army and added an RBI fielder’s choice in the eighth inning…Was 6-for-14 (.429)
with six RBI and three runs in the Charleston Southern series…Went 2-for-4 with
a run-scoring grounder on Sunday…Exploded for a season-high five RBI and was
3-for-6 with two runs in the second game…Hit .500 (5-for-10) in the series win over
Miami (Fla.)…Went 2-for-4 in the finale and stole his first base of the
campaign…Doubled twice and drew two walks on Saturday night…Batted .300
(3-for-10) with four walks and three runs in the series with USF…Went 1-for-5
in the finale and his grounder was misplayed with two down in the bottom of the
ninth to bring across Nolan Fontana with the tying run…Was 2-for-3 with two
walks and scored twice in game two.

AS A FRESHMAN (2009): Was the first player
in school history to earn the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
(NCBWA) Freshman Hitter of the Year Award…Shared the SEC Freshman of the Year
honor with LSU pitcher Matty Ott…Was a unanimous selection to the league’s
All-Freshman Team…Chosen as a Freshman All-American by Baseball America,
Louisville Slugger, Rivals.com and the NCBWA…Was invited to the 2009 USA
Baseball National Team Trials…Started 57 games, 50 at first base and seven as
the designated hitter, and played in 62 contests…The rookie captured the
Gators’ “Triple Crown” with a .364 batting average, a school-record 85 RBI and
15 homers…Also led the squad with a .628 slugging percentage, 152 total bases,
27 multiple-hit games and 23 multiple-RBI outings…His 85 RBI broke the record
of 80 set by Ryan Shealy in 2002…Rated second in hits (88), doubles (13) and
triples (3) and was fourth in runs (48)..Had a .350 SEC average and led the
club in conference play with 40 RBI and eight doubles…Earned the SEC Freshman
of the Week honor a school-record three times during the campaign (March 30,
April 13 and April 27)…Led UF with a scorching .531 (17-for-32) batting average
in the postseason and tallied 14 RBI…Was an eye-popping 13-for-20 (.650) in
five NCAA games…Paced the Gators with a .571 (4-for-7) clip against Southern
Miss in the NCAA Super Regional…Went 2-for-5 in the first matchup with the
Golden Eagles and had an RBI grounder during the four-run third stanza…Opened
the scoring on Sunday with a solo homer in the first inning and also drew a
career-high three walks…Named the NCAA Gainesville Regional’s Most Outstanding
Player after going 9-for-13 (.692) over the three Florida victories with six
RBI, two homers and a slugging percentage of 1.231…Had multiple hits in every
game…The rookie was 4-for-5 in the championship-game triumph over the Miami (Fla.)
and notched three RBI…Belted a two-run jack as part of a seven-run,
fifth-inning explosion…Was 2-for-3 with his 13th two-bagger of the
year in the first meeting with UM…Went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs in the
opener against Bethune-Cookman…Bashed a two-out, solo homer in the seventh and
jump-started the ninth-inning comeback with a single through the left side of
the infield…Was 4-for-12 (.333) with six RBI and three runs in Hoover and was a
member of the SEC All-Tourney squad…During UF’s opener against Arkansas, he had
an RBI grounder in the third inning and a two-run single in the fourth…The
slugger went 3-for-5 in the triumph over the Rebels, with a homer to begin the
fourth, an RBI double in the fifth and a run-scoring single in the eighth…Collected
six RBI in the Kentucky series, surpassing Brad Wilkerson’s freshman record of
68 RBI…Was 4-for-12 (.333) at LSU, with all four hits coming in game three,
when he was 4-for-5 with three runs in the 9-3 victory…Led the offensive attack
at Georgia with a 7-for-16 (.438) performance, including five RBI, four runs
and a couple of homers…Put the Gators ahead in the ninth on Sunday with a
three-run blast to straightaway center field and was 3-for-5 in the contest
with two runs…Laced an RBI single in the sixth inning of game two…Began the
weekend by going 3-for-6 with his 10th homer…Batted .462 (6-for-13) in
the sweep of South Carolina and delivered a pair of RBI singles in the first
game as the Gators notched a come-from-behind victory…Put Florida ahead in the
fifth with an infield hit and provided the hosts with some insurance in the
eighth with a single through the right side …On Saturday, Tucker was 3-for-5
and drove in two more runs with a double in the opening frame and a grounder in
the eighth…Stole the first two bases of his collegiate career in the 5-4 win
over USF…Went 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBI and a homer in the 15-4
beating of Stetson…Batted .333 (5-for-15) with six RBI, four runs and a two
walks at Auburn… Tied the SEC single-game record and established a school mark
with 11 RBI in the 16-3 win over UCF on April 8…Cranked grand slams in both the
fifth (right field) and seventh (center field) innings, sandwiched around a
three-run bomb in the sixth to left center…His 11 RBI matched the league record
total by Jason Nappi of Mississippi State in a 2008 game against UAB and
surpassed the previous Gator mark of 10 shared by Avery Barnes (vs. Tennessee,
5/18/07) and Adam Davis (vs. Tennessee, 4/30/05)…Became the third player in SEC
history to belt a pair of grand slams in a single outing, along with Roger
Miller of Georgia (1987) and Frank Baldasare of Auburn (1968)…In addition, he
became just the seventh Florida player to hit three homers in game, joining
Brian Leclerc (vs. Florida A&M, 2/15/05), Shealy (vs. Ole Miss, 3/15/02),
Pat Osborn (vs. Winthrop, 2/16/02), Greg Catalanotte (vs. Charleston Southern,
3/24/98), Wilkerson (vs. Mercer, 1/30/98) and Mark Ellis (vs. USF, 5/7/97)…Had
established a career high with four hits and tallied four RBI in the 12-7
shootout with Bethune-Cookman…Had a huge weekend at Vanderbilt, including two
three-hit games, and led the Gators with a .462 average (6-for-13) and eight
RBI…Chosen as the SEC Freshman of the Week for the first time after going
7-for-14 (.500) with a .786 slugging percentage, six RBI and three extra-base
hits during the sweep of Alabama…Came through with a bases-loaded, three-run
double with two down in the eighth on Friday, when he was 3-for-4…On Saturday,
Tucker had both a leadoff triple and a game-tying two-run single in the bottom
of the ninth as UF rallied from an 8-2 deficit to pull out a remarkable 9-8 win
to clinch the series…Was 3-for-5 and collected three RBI in that contest,
giving him consecutive three-hit outings for the first time in his collegiate
career…Notched first career triple in the eighth inning against UCF…Blasted
first career homer with a solo shot to lead off the fourth inning at Stetson… Debuted
with a .333 (4-for-12) performance against Louisville in which he had at least
one hit in every game…Delivered a sacrifice fly in his first career plate
appearance and added a single in the sixth inning.

SUMMER:
Played
for the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod League in 2010…Although he batted
.113 during the regular season, with seven runs, six RBI and three doubles,
Tucker went 6-for-12 (.500) in the playoffs and had a pair of homers against
the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox…He also scored four runs and six of his hits went
for extra bases.

HIGH SCHOOL: First
baseman from Plant High School whose head coach was Dennis Braun…Was an honorable
mention Louisville Slugger All-American in his final prep season, when he
earned first-team all-state in Class 5A for the second-straight year…Tucker
batted .468 with 46 runs batted in and nine home runs in ’08 and was the
Panthers’ best hitter…Listed at No. 345 in theClass of 2008 Final
Rankings from Perfect Game…A dominant offensive force, Tucker batted a
scorching .561 with a school-record 51 runs batted in, 34 runs, nine homers,
nine doubles and three triples in 2007…Was Hillsborough
County’s Triple Crown winner, was named to The
Tampa Tribune All-Hillsborough County first-team and was a first-team
all-state selection…In a key match-up against archrival Hillsborough, he was a
perfect 4-for-4 and drove in six RBI, courtesy of two three-run jacks…As a
sophomore, Tucker hit .418 with 31 RBI and six homers after registering a .333
clip during his freshman year…Had a strong performance in June 2007 at the USA
Baseball Tournament of Stars in Cary, N.C., a tournament that determined
invitations to the USA Junior National Team Trials in Joplin, Mo., in
mid-August…Went 8-for-13 with three RBIs and one run scored in four games
playing for NABF National, and was named an alternate for the Trials…Was
invited to the East Coast Professional Showcase and to the Florida Diamond Club
Professional Showcase…In 2006, Tucker was the starting first baseman for the
All-American Prospects that claimed first place at the USA Junior Olympic
Championship East tourney and the WWBA East National Championship…At the Team
One South Showcase that year, he posted the highest SPARQ rating of the 171
participants…The SPARQ rating is a system designed to measure
sport-specific athleticism and measures the tangibles of explosiveness, power
and speed… Was a member of the National Honor Society at Plant High School, the
National Society of High School Scholars and participated in the National
Student Leadership Conference…In addition, Tucker was an active member of
SERTOMA – SERvice TO Mankind.